Stairway of Sorrow
by BloodthirstyMajesty
Summary: Alucard was lonely. Nothing could make him happy. Not since his father starting going on his genocidal rampage to make the human race extinct. Not since his mother was accused of witchcraft and burned at the stake. Not since his father attacked him, leaving him to his seven year sleep. But just when Alucard thought that maybe, the world would be better without him, a Belmont came.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Adrian "Alucard" Fahrenheit Tepes.

Most people would find him unapproachable. Cold blooded. Ruthless. Deadly.

A monster.

But what they don't know-don't think about-is him.

His personality, his peeves, his humour, speech patterns, movement, how he thinks; none of it.

All they see is a monster.

The result of a doomed relationship that never should have happened.

The relationship between a human woman and Dracula.

In every way, he should have died. Either in the womb or of a premature birth. But the world just decided to let him live. A miserable, lonely life.

At the age of seven, he and his mother Lisa were dragged from their home in the woods because the poor woman was accused of withcraft.

She was a healer. A doctor. She wanted to learn about the world and how to make it better. So she set off on a journey to find someone who would teach her. Someone who had all the knowledge she could use to help people.

She found a twisting castle, and in that castle, she found Dracula.

Dracula gave Lisa all the knowledge and instruments of medicine and healing. Let her look upon all that he had collected during the long centuries that he was alive-undead.

And because of those instruments, one of her patients-an old woman who had a cough-ratted her out to the church.

The church came soon after, in the middle of the night. Adrian was asleep. Lisa was organizing her medicinal herbs.

The door was kicked open.

It was so loud that it startled Lisa who was so used to her husband's fits of anger that she had gotten used to loud noises, jump.

Adrian was awoken unpleasently from his slumber, but had the good sense to stay in his room, under his small bed.

That didn't last for long, however. For two of the bishop's lackeys soon broke down his bedroom door.

They first checked the closet, then under the desk. Finally, they found him under the bed.

Adrian knew what this meant, even as a newly fledged seven year old as of a few weeks prior.

He could hear his mother arguing with what sounded like someone of high standing, who Adrian didn't know at the time was the bishop.

His mouth was clenched shut during the trip to the kitchen where a few more preists and the bishop were standing with his mother.

Adrian caught the tail of the bishop's sentence. "...working with the devil himself. We will not trust the words of a witch."

After a while of what Adrian thought of as the bishop talking in circles, he and Lisa were dragged from their cozy little cabin as it was set aflame.

On lonely tear fell down the young boy's cheek, but there was more to come.

After a long, tense carriage ride, they arrived at a city square. Adrian heard a preist call it Targoviste.

A large cross was set up among piles of dry wood. A brick of dread settled itself in his stomach as they were shoved out.

But before they could be lead any further, Lisa leaned down to her child's ear and whispered, "I love you, my baby. Please do not hate the humans or your father..."

With barely parted lips as to not show his fangs, he whispered back, "I love you too, Mama."

A sad smile was shared between them as Lisa was lead to the cross.

Within the next hour, Adrian would have no mother, a genocidal father, a scar from the flames on his shoulder, and a deep, permeating loneliness.

But he would try to stay strong.

After one week of steady mourning, he had banished all sadness from his mind. 'Cause maybe if he wasn't sad, then Dracula wouldn't be sad, either.

It didn't quite work as planned.

His sadness just got bottled up and up and up and up, until it was over-flowing.

During that time, he was contemplating ending his life.

He was only nine.

The scar remained, no matter how much blood he drank or how much food he ate, it stayed. A constant reminder of his pain.

Dracula could see his son's pain all too clearly, unfortunately. And that drove him over the edge.

He lost his wife, and now he might loose his only child, too. All because of those nasty humans.

And thus, started his genocidal rampage.

Adrian tried to stop him, keeping his mother's last words in his head always. But in the act of doing so, Dracula lost his sanity in a fit of sorrow and turned his claws on his son.

Another scar was added to his collection.

To heal from the battle, ten year old Adrian, now taking up the name Alucard went to sleep in his coffin that his father had prepared for him if anything was to happen to him.

And that is where he stayed. For seven years, four months, twenty-three days, thirteen hours, fourty-two minutes, and six seconds. All until a certain Belmont opened his coffin by falling down a hole.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

It was dark. So dark.

The air was stiff, stale, and musky. Smelling of water, dust, and blood.

Despite the aching pain in his back, the dhampir was still dozing, just on the border of falling asleep. But for some reason, he couldn't

There was something bugging at his senses. Something urgent. But his lax instincts couldn't seem to figure out what it was.

His nose smelt something divine, almost as delicious smelling as his mother's chocolate and strawberry crepes.

His ears heard something soothing, like his father's footsteps when he carried him back to his room after he fell asleep reading.

His body shuddered involuntarily as a bit of excitement and fear shot up his spine.

Yet, his eyes couldn't see.

He was blind as the thudding and the scent grew closer. But his dozing was getting worse.

Whatever woke him up was starting not to have any effect anymore; he was slowly going back to sleep.

Just as his breathing leveled out, however, a click was heard and a tiny sliver of light peaked through his eyelids and a grating sound filled his ears.

Goosebumps were raised along his arms for a short few seconds from the chilly air that came in contact with them. But as his body got used to the temperature, his eyes fluttered open only a tiny bit to see the lid of whatever box he was in-a coffin-fall to the ground, exposing a high stone ceiling.

His ears picked up on something, as well, beyond the crash; a gruff voice saying, "I didn't do that."

By the sigh of another, higher pitched voice, he could tell that that was a lie and they both knew it.

Shutting his eyes against the bright light of the lanterns, he rose from his confines, always floating a few inches above any and all surfaces.

As his brain came back to him, he realized that one of his hands was placed across his heart, over a large, ugly scar, while the other hung by his side.

And as his instincts started to wake up as well, he could sense the presence of two. One man, probably just about a year or two older than he, and a girl, perhaps his age. Both fairly young.

The smell of alchohol, dirt, demon blood, salt, and rust masked the delectable smell that he smelt earlier. It was coming from the man.

While the girl's blood smelled like magic, and purity, the man's smelt of strength and power and potency.

He could remember his father telling him about these people. Hunters who lived by slaying demons and vampires. The Belmont clan.

Their blood was unique, which gave it that tasty smell. But if you tried to even get a lick of it, you could be promised to get your head cut off.

They were dangerous.

But he was intrigued.

His hair, that he felt was now below his shoulders, draped across his shoulders and back and covered his eyes.

He peaked through the strands, taking a look at his guests.

He is definitely a Belmont. And she must be a Speaker. He thought, eyeing the man's whip at his waist, among the family emblem on his breast, and the girl's robes and looks.

Then, they started bickering.

"See? I told you he was down here," the girl said.

The man shook his head. "No. He isn't your messiah." Huh? "Look around. The coffin, the lanterns that light by themselves, the traps, the blood. This is exactly how the family records describe the inside of Dracula's castle."

The man-the Belmont-started to walk to his left side, keeping his distance. He kept his eyes on him all he while.

His arm dropped to his side as Belmont started talking again.

"I don't know about you, but I don't trust this floating vampire Jesus, here."

"Belmont!"

He raised his head, and on a whim, decided that he wanted to be a little teasing, witty.

"Oh? How sharp of you. But I have to ask. Do you believe?"

The corners of Belmont's lips turned down.

"I don't believe that your that sleeping soldier that everyone in town's talking about, but I don't think you mean that, do you? You mean if I believe that you the great messiah come to save the world from Dracula's monsters. No, I don't. Who can say that you're not Dracula, hm?"

"Belmont!" The Speaker girl sounded even more outraged and she tried to apologize.

"I'm so sorry for him-"

Even though it was rude manners to interupt, he did it anyway. "Why are you here?"

"To get your help in destroying Dracula's Night Horde."

He turned his face to Belmont. "And you?"

A smirk played on his lips. "I fell down a hole."

A spark of amusement lit up the dhampir's eyes before it was extinguished once more.

"But now what do you want to do?"

The answer was swift and simple, and among the shiver of excitement, also came the rain of sorrow.

"I'm going to kill you."

Hi! Majesty here!

This is my first fanfic that I ever published, because my previous computer was a '90's brick with no internet.

But now that I got a laptop for Xmas, I can post!

My updates with be sporadic, but I'll try to post a new chapter once a week. Sometimes you might get two or three a week, depending on when I can have my laptop, since it is living at my grandparents for the time being.

But I hope you enjoyed, and I might post another chapter tomorrow before I go out.

Bye

Majesty


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

He shouldn't have been surprised. He was a vampire after all, and that man was a Belmont. It was a Belmont's duty to kill vampires.

But the dhampir could have sworn that the Belmonts had been wiped out almost a decade ago.

Did the church decide to let this one live? No. The church hates leaving possible threats alive. They must not've known about him when they killed his family.

"You're a Belmont, aren't you?" He asked.

The arrogant smirk vanished from the Belmont's face, and was replaced with a deep frown.

"Trevor Belmont. Last son of the House of Belmont."

"I see. Well, let's see if you're as good with that whip as your ancestors." At this, the half-vampire allowed his own smirk to pull at his mouth, revealing the slight points of his fangs.

"Yes. Let's see if you can uphold your title as the King of Vampires."

The battle had started.

With a slight twitch of his fingers, the dhampir called upon his sword, that had slept by his side for seven years.

With a flourish, it lifted and spun out of the black and gold sheath, becoming a silver streak across the air as it darted into his waiting hand.

With one arm folded behind his bare back, and the other straight out holding his sword, he was ready to fight.

Although, the same couldn't be said for Trevor Belmont.

Despite Trevor's confident facade, he was quite shaken.

Even though his words told this place as Dracula's castle, he didn't exactly expect there to be an actual vampire sleeping there.

But of course just his luck that there was one. And one that seemed pretty confident in his abilities.

But confusion swirled with fear and excitement the more he thought.

This vampire was awfully small for a pure blood, and even compared to the generals.

And he must've been someone important to Dracula because, why else would he have such tools dedicated to keeping him alive while he slept? He must've been some sort of general or tactician.

But there was that story that said that Dracula had a wife...Could this be his child? No. Couldn't be. The child would have died before it was born. Must be a general.

Trevor found himself contemplating that scar while they talked, but couldn't think much of it before the vampire drew his sword. Well, more like summoned, but whatever.

He had just a few seconds to draw his whip before he struck.

At first it seemed as though Trevor was winning, but he began to get too confident in his abilities to destroy this bloodsucker.

As fast as it started, the whip cracks and grating of metal soon stopped, replaced by the sound of Trevor's body hitting the stone wall.

Their swords were discarded in the center of the room, Trevor's in pieces. His whip was across the floor, behind the coffin. All those things were not good for Trevor. For the vampire's fangs were at his throat and all he had left was a small, metal stake that was driven into the creatures chest.

"I can still rip your throat out," he said, voice void of emotion. Maybe a bit of annoyance and curiostity, but nothing much so that Trevor couldn't place it.

"And I can still stake you."

Trevor thought he saw a flurry of sadness enter the vampire's eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Trevor thought he had imagined it.

"But you would still die..."

"I said I would kill you. Living through it would just be a luxury." Even at Death's door, Trevor kept his over-confident smirk.

The fear of Death was long since kicked out of him in order to continue the family legacy. It was a good thing not to have.

And just like that, the hard pools of molten gold that were the vampire's eyes softened, and as a slight upturn of his lips, that could almost be called a smile, was shown, the creature stood up and offered his hand to Trevor who was still on the stone floor.

But instead of taking the hand, the Belmont scoffed and pushed himself up.

The ghost of the smile that the dhampir wore vanished without a trace as his arm fell back to his side.

When another flash of hurt appeared in his eyes, Trevor knew he hadn't imagined it before. _Is he offended?_ He thought. _But why? This is typical behavoir for a conversation between Belmont and vampire._

A slight movement snapped Trevor out of his thoughts. The slight wound that his metal stake made was closing up, along with the long slice that his sword caused when it broke. The hunter couldn't help but notice that his regenerative abilities were slower compared to other vampires. Maybe it was because he was weak, or he stayed uninjured for so long that he got rusty, or something.

 _Eh_ , he mentally shrugged. _Who cares? Not me._

Sypha looked ready to burn some vampire ass, though. Trevor could almost see the steam coming out of her ears.

The dhampire began to speak as he walked away.

"My name is Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes. Known by many as 'Alucard'. And I am the son of Vlad Dracula Tepes."

At that moment, both Trevor and Sypha's thoughts were in sync.

 _Whoa...No way in Hell..._

Hello! Sorry I didn't update sooner, things have just been really crazy lately. I've been trying to make the chapters longer, but this is the best I will be able to dish out at 2:05AM. But I will be starting a new story. I know. I'm terrible. I should be focusing on the one I've already started, but this plot bunny won't leave me alone! So expect a chapter of a new fic [AlucardxTrevor, but mostly just Alucard] coming out tomorrow. I will try to update this within the next three days. Until then, bye!

~Majesty


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Dracula's son...No way...

In every way, he should not have been alive. Yet there he was, alive and putting a clean [albeit a little dusty] white tunic on with a black coat with gold embroidery on the cuffs and hem and collar. And Trevor knew he was alive, or at least half alive, because just moments before, he could feel the warmth radiating off of Alucard.

And vampires did not have body heat. Or even beating hearts. This dhampir had both.

"Have you heard of the Sleeping Soldier tale of this town?" he suddenly asked.

Trevor was taken aback. He thought that he had made himself clear that he knew. "Yeah," he answered.

Alucard's attention went to Sypha, the red-head Speaker who joined the Belmont on his adventure down a hole.

"You are a Speaker, correct?"

"Um, yeah..." Her answer seemed a little akward, but Trevor didn't blame her. With those vacant, uncaring gold eyes boring into you, it was difficult to make a coherent sentence. You felt as though you would be swallowed up and die in a monster's stomach; like a cobra was about to strike your defenseless body.

"Good. I need a Magician and a Hunter."

"Huh?" Trevor cocked his head to the side with a furrowed brow. "Whatcha talking about, vampire?"

"The prophecy, it said that I shall need a Scholar and a Hunter, and look who I have here."

They caught on quickly.

"Right," Sypha started. "But how did you know that I could use magic?"

It was a good question. Alucard had never seen Sypha use her magic before. There was no way that he would know. It was probably just a guess.

"I could smell it in your blood," was the reply they weren't expecting.

It creeped them out, and made Sypha chuckle nervously as shivers ran down their spines.

"Right..."

"Now, let's get going. We have my father to kill."

Even though it pained him, Alucard knew that he had to do this. He had to kill his father.

Dracula was going insane. It wasn't safe for anyone. That was proven when he turned his claws and lashed out on his own son who was but a child at the time.

He would kill Dracula. With this Speaker magician and a vampire hunter from the lost Belmont clan.

A light sigh escaped the dhampir's lips.

 _What a strange group we are_.

An ache ran through his scar at the thought of his father, keeping away any traces of an amused smile that would have otherwise emerged.

No matter how much Alucard told himself that he hated his father, to make the eventual patricide easier, it just made his mind think of the happy memories of him, Dracula, and his mother, Lisa.

It made him even more disgusted with himself. That he would have to kill the last remaining half of the whole that created him.

But Trevor proved as a pleasant distraction. Well, most of the time, pleasant. He was annoying, sure, but he was also witty and could take a few blows, insult or physical. And with Sypha there to keep the drunk in line, and to keep Alucard company, the begining of their journey was fairly nice.

And by begining, Alucard meant the first five minutes. As soon as they left Alucard's...tomb, Trevor started complaining.

"Ugh! Why didn't you build those stupid mechines of yours sturdier? Now we hafta climb all the way back up to the top from the rubble and the walls."

"Well, maybe if you treated them nicely, the mechines wouldn't have fallen."

Sypha scratched her cheek. "Well, they were quite rusty..."

Alucard was just about to deny that statement when they came upon the ruins of the metal support beams or the cogs.

They were really rusty.

"Oh."

A small smile stretched Sypha's lips, while beside her, Trevor smirked smugly.

"How long were you sleeping for?" She asked.

The dhampir didn't actually know. He was asleep, after all.

"What is the year of your Lord?"

"1476," was Sypha's quick answer.

"Then around seven years, then."

"Seven years?! What point would you have to sleep that long?"

Trevor didn't say it, but Alucard could see the embers of curiosity in his blue eyes.

"You have seen my scar. My father gave me that wound when I tried to stop him from killing the humans. Then, I went here to rest and heal."

A small expression of pity could be seen on the Speaker's face.

Alucard hated it.

He didn't need to be pitied. There was nothing to pity. He was strong, he could handle himself.

Just as he was about to voice this, Trevor turned and shrugged. Alucard lips parted in surprise.

"Well, you better not lose again to your old man. If you do, you'd probably get grounded again."

A playful note coated his words as he began to walk away.

"You don't want that to happen, do you?"

Alucard couldn't help it. His chest felt so light after that playful jab.

It started as a chuckle, but then it grew.

He laughed.

Trevor didn't want to admit it, but Alucard's laugh was beautiful. Like the chiming of bells.

He didn't voice his thoughts, however, and instead chose to stand to the side with a smirk and crossed arms as he watched the cool and collected dhampir laugh.

But as quickly as it started, it was over. The cold loneliness was back in his eyes. You could feel his solemn aura from across the room. It was quite depressing, in all found himself wondering why the dhampir was so gloomy all the time as they made their way up the hole.

 _I understand why he would be a bit down, given that his father was Dracula, and the bastard kinda almost killed him on purpose. Not to mention, his mother was burned for being a witch. He must've been pretty young given the amount of time he was sleeping. Either that, or he just looks young and he's really a thirty year old man._

Trevor shuddered. That just made everything a whole lot creepier.

 _Drive it out of your mind! Drive it out of your mind, Trevor! Think about something else. Food...Alcohol...Bar fights...Starvation...Dying children...Human extinction...Okay, this is really not helping!_

With a slight shake of his head, Trevor stopped thinking all together, instead focusing on where to place his hands of the ruins of the metal structures.

He was starting to get tired of all this climbing, and falling, and fighting. He was hungry, for God's sake! He had only a small sliver of goat for over a day! No alcohol either.

Grumbles of complaint could be heard under the hunter's breath, only made worse at the sight of Alucard climbing the ruins with ease, not even a sweat on his perfect brow.

"Damn, vampire..." Trevor growled.

"What was that, Belmont? Thought I heard something. Was it an insult directed at me?"

Of course Alucard heard. Just his luck. Why couldn't they had just found an actual corpse instead of this annoying, good looking, witty vampire, who just so happened to be Dracula's son? Did they really need him? Could Trevor just kick him off the nearest cliff when he could? They wouldn't miss him. It'd probably be better without him.

 _Ugh...but then Sypha will be mad at me, and I don't want to be burned alive or frozen. Guess we have to keep him...What a pain_.

The hike up the hole continued without any conversation except for the occasional jab, and with sore limbs, the group finally made it to the top. But Alucard was fine, though, actually appreciating the exercise to warm him up. That just proved to make Trevor angry, yet he was too tired to fan that flame and it was snuffed out quick enough.

One thing Trevor could give to the vampire was that he let them catch their breath before saying, "Let's head to the next town, shall we?"

Trevor was just about to say, 'we shall not', but Sypha was quick to agree.

"Yes, let's. There's a small town close to here, maybe eight or so miles away, that has an inn and stores. It would be wise to get there soon."

"Indeed, but we would have to travel on foot if we leave tonight. That would be unwise in case of monster attacks."

Trevor was spralled on the grass still, staring up at his two companions as they discussed plans. He would later refuse to admit that he had paid no attention to their conversation whatsoever, to tired to even think.

 _I got too rusty_.

At last, the two metally capable ones had come to an agreement, to stay in the town til the next afternoon before leaving. This way they could say good-bye to Sypha's family as they left the city per Trevor's command and get a horse and carriage to make their journey easier.

As for where they would stay, it would be in the ruined remains of Sypha's latest temporary home. They could light a fire to keep warm, then sleep throughout the night.

Yet when it finally came to the sleeping bit, even though Trevor was exhausted, he couldn't fall asleep. Instead, he chose to watch through slited eyes, the perfect creature of purity and sin that sat guard at the giant, gaping hole in the front of the house.

Trevor couldn't not notice how the moonlight gently enveloped him, making his golden hair a shade of silver, and his eyes seem glossy. The light reflected off his blade that was stabbed into the dirt at his side, like a beacon calling the angels.

His coat sat in a neat pile next to him, hidden behind the brick wall.

His posture was perfect, and as Trevor's eyes began to notice a bit of discolouring on his arm, the creature who he was so curiously examining spoke in his hushed voice, only about an octave higher than his own.

"Why do you continue to stare at me so?"

Another chapter! Trevor's being kind of a jerk. But that's normal. Also, in case any of you were wondering, Alucard is just about 18 in this fic. Trevor would be around nineteen. Sypha would be more around Alucard's age. I think this is my longest chapter for this fic. Yay, me! And at 2:14 in the morning, too! Right after the Super Bowl and my grandpa's birthday, also. It was a big day. Must've been because of all the Castlevania streams I watched today and the Smash Ultimate Castlevania music I'm listening to right now. It's really good. Go listen to it. Anyways, hope you enjoyed, and leave some reviews telling me what I can do to make this better for you guys and improve my writing for it.

Bye-bye-

Majesty


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Alucard could feel the Belmont's eyes on him. They were grazing across his skin for quite some time, yet he allowed it to continue.

 _Eventually it will stop, or he will say something,_ he told himself. But as the minutes passed, nothing happened. Nothing except for the eyes still watching him.

It felt as though they were waiting for him to make a mistake. So this way, he could call him out on it. Humiliate him, yet not know it. That would most likely lead into a fight between them, which was the last thing he wanted at this point.

Although, it was fun to make Trevor bristle.

Eventually, Alucard got sick of it, getting too ucomfortable for his liking. His mouth was set into a barely noticable frown as he spoke out quietly, careful not to wake Sypha.

"Why do you continue to stare at me so?"

The dhampir sensed more than saw the hunter jump. His ears picked up on the soft sound of dirt shifting under clothing, yet still kept his back to Trevor. He did not particularly want to see him.

Trevor took a few moments to answer, most likely thinking over which answer would be best. Alucard was just starting to feel the tingles of impatience creep into his chest when the Belmont spoke.

"I wasn't staring."

Classic Belmont. Denial. But Alucard was too exhausted to argue. He actually though he would get some sort of answer out of him, but he set his bar too high.

"Whatever. Think what you wish. Just stop staring. It's weird."

Trevor scoffed. "I wasn't staring."

"Just go to sleep, Belmont. You'll regret it in the morning if you don't."

"Fine."

Silence. Sweet, smooth, insufferable silence. Alucard had had enough of silence while he was in his seven year slumber. Oddly enough no birds or small critters made any noise at that moment, suspending him in the suffocating quiet.

 _Please, make a noise,_ he found himself thinking. _Anything. Just let there be sound._

As if his prayers were answered, Trevor spoke, quieter than before, as if ashamed to ask the question.

"Why do you want to kill Dracula?"

The dhampir knew this question was going to pop up someday. Yet how the Belmont worded it just begged for confusion. Alucard decided to tease him a bit.

"I thought the answer rather clear; Father's killing human's, I don't like it, I'm stopping him so humanity can live. Rather simple, really. Or can your small, primitive brain not comprehend thoughts?"

"Hey! I knew that, bastard!" Trevor had a glare boring into Alucard's back. "I meant why are you siding with humans? Dracula's your father. Shouldn't you side with him?"

"If my mother didn't raise me the way she did, I might have joined my father in his genocide plans." Alucard could feel Trevor's eyes watching his every movement as he drew his father's face in the dirt with a stick. "I still love him, Belmont. He is still my father. But he has gone insane, mad with grief, and I must stop him." After a moment, he added, "Because it's what my mother would have wanted."

"Oh."

Honestly, Alucard didn't want to talk about this anymore. With any luck, Trevor would tell Sypha when he wasn't around and he wouldn't have to talk about it again. He could die without ever voicing his own sadness, knowing that it would just spawn more pain and guilt.

"You should go to sleep now, Trevor. You don't want Lady Sypha to be mad at you, do you?"

Even though it was meant to be a light-hearted jest, it came out sounding monotonious, and depressed. Exactly how he was feeling.

"Yeah. I don't want to be frozen to death if I doze off."

And that was the end of that conversation.

The owls and mice started up again, lulling Alucard into a pleasant haze as he, himself, dozed off on the job.

Yet it wasn't so for Trevor, who after their little discussion, was left with even more questions and not enough answers. He'd ask, if it didn't mean that he would either A) get punched in the face, or B) accidently send the dhampir into a sulking pit of despair, boringness, and sadness. Not a good combo for a group going on a vampire slaying quest.

After a few minutes of stealing glances at Alucard, so this way the vampire wouldn't notice like last time, Trevor noticed that Alucard's head was slowly tilting downwards.

He was nodding off.

Eventually, Alucard's chin touched his collarbones, and his breathing deepened.

Trevor couldn't believe it. Alucard was asleep.

 _He was asleep for seven years, yet is still tired. How does that happen?_

Another question to add to the ever growing list.

This sudden show of vunerabilty was shocking, yet even more mezmerizing than when he was awake.

Trevor felt his eyes widen, yet he couldn't tear his blue gaze from the stunning creature sleeping soundly right in front of him.

Breifly, the hunter entertained the thought of poking the dhampir to see if he would stir, but at the last second he convinced himself that that would be an unwise decision. He'd probably end up with Alucard's gleeming sword hilt deep in his heart. Trevor planned on staying alive at least until they got to Dracula.

And until then, he could slowly tear all of his golden haired companion's secrets out of their mental prison.

Morning broke.

Trevor had fallen asleep rather abrutly last night from his post as new watch guard, since Alucard [the previous watch guard] had fallen asleep before passing the job to him. Well, he just fell asleep in general.

Neither Sypha nor Trevor ever thought that Alucard would fall asleep, thinking he'd be as wide awake as he was in the daylight. And Trevor thought he would continue sleeping throughout the night, like a normal human. [Which he wasn't now that Trevor thought about it].

But when Sypha shook him awake at the crack of dawn [literally. The sun was just begining to rise], Alucard was up and still groomed to perfection. No bed head. No sleepy eyes. No imprints in his skin from his clothes. No dirt. Even that picture he had drawn the night before was gone.

Trevor took a few moments to ask himself, _Was it just a dream?_

Than that must've been a really creepy dream to imagine himself staring at the dhampir like a cat with it's prey.

Trevor made a face, and shuddered a bit, grossed out by his own creepiness. Sypha tilted her head to the side in silent questioning. The Belmont caught her gaze and put his normal arrogant, bored face on, standing up from his nest he made out of his cape.

For a second, Trevor pondered the thought of asking Alucard what happened last night, just to guarantee his sanity was still intact. Yet, he decided to let it go. If it really was a dream, then any trust built between them would come crashing down, or Alucard would think him perverted and tease him for it, which was humiliating and damaging to his manly Belmont pride.

Sypha didn't seem to notice the internal battle he was having, and instead walked over to Alucard, who raised a perfect golden eyebrow at her approach.

"Alucard, me and Trevor are going to go say good-bye to my family. Are you alright staying here? They probably would freak out at your presence and not want to leave. 'Cause, you know, you're the Sleeping Soldier and everything."

The dhampir responded with a dip of his head. "Yes. I understand perfectly, Lady Sypha. It would be no problem to stay here for the time being. It will give me time to think."

Sypha smiled. "Good. We'll be back within the hour." She turned to Trevor. "Come on, Trevor. We shouldn't keep my family waiting."

"Yep, alright, alright..."

Trevor walked after her, running a hand through his unkept hair and not fixing it in the least.

As he walked past Alucard, he said, "Don't kill anyone, vampire. Or I'll have to kill you."

"Don't you remember our previous fight? I don't think that will happen any time soon. I have nothing to worry about."

Trevor's scowl deepened as a nasty retort came to mind, but he did not say anything, instead following Sypha as she left the ruined house.

This was going to be a hard trip. With Trevor and Alucard's bickering, Alucard being a vampire, Trevor being a vampire hunter, and a Speaker to keep them in line, when both would probably win in a fight with her.

At least Alucard had good manners and behavior.

Sypha started wishing that Trevor had more politeness than he did. That he could learn some manners from the dhampir.

That probably wouldn't happen, though. It was Trevor they're talking about, after all.

Death never frightened him, but being polite certainly did.

I just noticed that I mixed the chapters up. I skipped chapter two! I counted the prologue as a chapter so after chapter one, it went to chapter three. I'll go back and fix that. So by the time you read this, everything will be good. Hope you enjoyed, even though this was pretty late for me. I'll see you all next time!

Majesty


	6. Chapter 5

The day had passed swiftly, and soon they were in the wagon they had bought in town and on the road.

Night was quickly falling, and and unspoken agreement was made that they should stop to make camp soon.

Sypha was rather surprised about how quiet the day had gone. Besides a few insults and quips directed at each other, Trevor and Alucard remained silent.

Sypha had spoken a few words with both, yet Trevor seemed to be off in his own world [that the Speaker didn't want to know about for fear of scarring her mind for her entire life], and Alucard was distant and depressed as usual. In other words, Sypha got herself some 'me time'.

It was hard enough to get privacy when traveling with 11 other men, but they were rather good at giving her space when she asked for it. Her new traveling companions weren't like that, however.

Trevor didn't know the meaning of 'privacy' or 'personal space'. He didn't really care whether or not you were half naked leaning against his side. As long as you weren't dead and making a mess out of things, he didn't care.

Alucard on the other hand, was polite, civilized, and well-mannered. Everything Trevor was not. So they oft got into fights. That Sypha had to break up. Most times, Alucard would appologize for the inconvinience and he was happy to give her space. But that was the thing. Alucard never got close enough to people for it to feel like a breach of personal space. The only time he touched anyone in any way was when he was fighting, or assisting people who were injured.

He was rather depressing, too, as mentioned before. So depressing that it made Sypha's otherwise normal 'me times' feel more like a self-depreciating sulk.

Just thinking about it made Sypha feel kinda down.

Her thoughts were distracted, though by the dimming horizon. The clouds had now gone from a bright, cheery pink, to a purple hued grey. She could see the silhouette of the moon starting to peak out from behind a few clouds and the lingering light.

They probably should start making theier camp, and when Sypha was about to voice that exact thing, Alucard's smooth voice chimed up from the back of the wagon.

"We should make camp now, Lady Sypha. It's getting rather late."

"Good timing, Alucard," the Speaker replied. "I was just about to ask."

"I would be willing to go out hunting for food to give you a chance to rest if you wish."

Now that Sypha though about it, she had been driving the wagon for almost the entire day. A little rest would be a well deserved treat.

"That would be great. Thank you, Alucard."

"It's my pleasure."

Alucard had stuck true to his word, having as soon as the wagon stopped gone into the small bit of woods. Sypha didn't doubt that he would find something for them, as it was Alucard; all patience and strength.

She sighed a little.

Trevor was rolling his eyes and Sypha just knew that he was gonna make an obnoxious comment.

Aaand she was right.

"Sneaky little bastard," Trevor crossed his arms, a disgusted look on his face. "I bet he's just going to go off and drink some wandering human's blood. Under the guise of getting us food."

"Shut up, Trevor. He's nice," Sypha sent him a nasty glare. "Unlike some people."

"Harsh."

"You deserve it. Now, go get firewood."

An annoyed huff from Trevor, but there were no complaints, shockingly.

With the guys gone, Sypha could finally have her 'me time'.

I am sooo sorry for the delay. I didn't have my laptop so I couldn't write, and I couldn't write meant no chapter, and no chapter meant no update. So I poured over my laptop for almost three hours or something and now I have a kink in my neck. Still, it came out a lot shorter than I wanted, but I'm tired and I have to get up early tomorrow. I promise, though, as an apology for being away and not updating, I will work my butt off to give you guys a doubly long chapter. I know that's not saying much, but it will still happen. As for Not A Burden, I will be updating that shortly, too. Sorry to leave you on such a cliff-hanger. So I hope you enjoyed this kinda short chapter and I'll be back in a few days. Bye-bye

Majesty~


	7. Chapter 6

Alucard didn't come back.

Trevor had long since returned from his trip to get firewood, but Alucard had not.

The forest was completely quiet, making the air tense. Until Trevor opened his mouth.

"I knew it," his face was bent into a disgusted scowl. "I knew that he was leaving us. He's probably drinking some poor virgin girl's blood right now, like in the old wives' tales."

Sypha's eyebrow twitched. "Shut up, Trevor!"

He flinched.

"He said he was going to get food. For us! If he wanted us dead, he would've killed us by now. What motive does he have to do that?"

Trevor hated to admit it, but Sypha was right. The dhampir couldn't beat Dracula at full strength and now he was weakened. If he went in there without their help, he would be torn to shreds.

But instead of admitting defeat, Trevor crossed his arms. "Hmph!"

And with that childish act, Sypha's disappointment in him was all but assured.

She rolled her eyes and let out an audible sigh."He'll be back by morning. Probably got attacked by something."

They were wrong. So very wrong.

Alucard had been in the middle of hunting for his new comrades, when he felt a cold hand circle his neck, sharp claws gently poking his aorta.

The dhampir mentally kicked himself for not noticing the threat sneaking up to him until it was too late.

"What do you want, Father?"

"No greeting for your father, son?"

"I gave you one. I wouldn't have uttered that word tying you to me if it weren't in a greeting. Now," a note of hostility tainted the monotone voice of the dhampir. "what do you want?"

The hand around Alucard's neck loosened until the arm attatched to it dragged it back to the owner's side.

Alucard took the chance to jump away, out of reach, before Dracula changed his mind and decided to break his neck.

Alucard thought he saw a small flicker of emotion in his father's eyes, but it was gone before he could identify it. Instead, it was replaced by a stone cold mask.

"Join me, my son," was the reply that nobody expected. Least of all Alucard. Even the animals seemed to go silent.

"What?" Alucard wasn't sure he heard the man right. _Join him?_ Like hell he would!

"I know you heard me, Adrian. Do not make me repeat myself." Dracula's voice took on a demanding tone.

"I must decline," Alucard bit back coldly. "If you've already forgotten, you tried to kill me, and now you're trying to kill humanity, which I'm trying to protect." He shifted into a better position to run away if needed to. "What point would I have to join you other than to get myself killed?"

Dracula's eyes narrowed; most likely in disappointment.

At him.

At Alucard.

This wasn't good.

"Because I told you to. Isn't that reason enough?" There was something akin to frustration in his voice, before a low growl emmitted from deep in his throat.

Alucard's brain began to work overtime.

 _Why is he so hostile today?_ Dracula had never lost his temper, except for those few times when the dhampir was a child. _He's impatient. Rash._

Then, something clicked.

 _When was the last time he fed?_

It could be dangerous if left unchecked, Alucard knew that. Not only for Dracula, but for every living thing with blood in its veins.

The dhampir decided to test his hypothysis.

"When was the last time you fed?"

It started with a simple question.

"That is not your concern," Dracula snapped.

 _Feisty lately, too._ Another thing added to the list.

Next, Alucard decided to provoke him.

"Then explain why you're so moody. You're acting like a werewolf in heat."

Alucard could've sworn that he saw a vein throb on the elder vampire's temple. His plan was going smoothly for the most part.

"Shut up, Adrian."

"I will not."

 _"That was an order, boy."_ Each word felt like a knife to the heart, with how much hostility and thinly restrained anger was carried within the biting growl of Dracula's voice.

Unfortunately, Alucard was always a rebellious child, and that hadn't changed over the years. Far from it. In fact, you could say he got worse with age. And that was something that the king of shadows did not like. That his son, his _servant_ , his _heir_ would dare to defy him. If Alucard knew anything, it was how much his father despised not being able to control the one person he wanted to remain under his influence. He hated being looked down upon as a lesser being.

That's why, that very reason is why, when Alucard looked into Dracula's red eyes, he allowed a small spark of defiance to light his own sharp gaze. And why he suddenly tilted his head up in order to look down his nose at the elder vampire with a look or near boredom on his face.

Alucard couldn't deny the sense of joy that flowed through him for just those few seconds. The few seconds as he watched Dracula's face twist into an ugly look of anger and hatred. Anything that was calm about the vampire before was now completely shattered.

"Why you little-!"

Alucard dodged a swift swipe at his eyes from a clawed hand, and took a few more steps back, just to be safe.

"What?" the dhampir asked, in a clearly mocking tone. "Is something the matter?"

Alucard could practically feel the waves of bloodlust and murderous intent rolling off of Dracula and onto him.

Alucard knew he was playing with fire. And he knew that he would get burned eventually.

Another clawed hand tried to strike his face once more, this one faster than the previous. Alucard almost couldn't dodge. And yet still, he provoked.

"What, too slow to hit a _child_? Are you so weak that you can't even beat your own son?"

"SHUT UP, YOU INSOLENT BRAT!"

The next swipe was too fast to even block, forget about dodging. It struck right across Alucard's face, making a diagonal gash across his eyes and down his right cheek.

The dhampir drew in a sharp breath, stifling a scream.

He could feel it. Feel his eyes start to break down and shut off. Black spots began to cover his vision, as warm blood seeped out of the wounds and down his neck.

He had just enough of his vision to be able to see the horrified look on Dracula's face. The guilt that Alucard could see begin its feast upon his soul.

As his vision blacked out, and he could feel himself sway, and tilt towards the ground, he wondered, _Will this be the time I can finally have some rest? Will the darkness swallow me whole like it has refused to do so in the past?_

Those questions went unanswered, as Alucard thought. There was no higher power, no God, to protect and watch over everyone equally. Even if there was, why did he abandon the monsters that _he_ created? What a bunch of lies.

A small, bitter smirk stretched across the fangling's bloodsoaked lips, as all that remained of his vision was lost. And with it, his consciousness, thrown into the void.

Maybe this time...He would never wake...

I...kinda got a bit deep there at the end. Wow. Didn't expect this scene to go like _that_. But, anyway. Sorry for the wait for this new chapter. Writer's block is a monster that nobody should have to go through. But at least I advanced the plot some [which is surprising 'cause when I first started writing this, I had no clue what I was doing!], and hopefully writing the next chapter will be a bit easier. At least this chapter will be posted when Stairway has almost one thousand reads! I never thought that anybody other than robot would read this, not to mention _enjoy_ it. So thank you to everybody that stuck around, even though my update schedule is non-existent. I give you all virtual cookies. And don't be shy to leave your opinions and critique in a review or PM. Every bit of feedback I get makes me so happy. I have no clue when I will update next, so to be safe, I'll say that a new chapter of this and/or Burden will be up within a month. I hope you enjoyed this long(er) [I hope] chapter of Stairway, and I will see you all next time!

Bye-bye!

Majesty


	8. Chapter 7

A mix of guilt and sick satisfaction swirled through the unmoving blood in Dracula's veins as he stared at his collapsed, unconscious son who he injured. The limp, lithe body lie motionless, almost appearing dead if not for the small intakes of breath the young dhampir took to maintain his life. It almost looked as if he had been attacked by a wolf, when in fact it had been his own _father_ who had attacked him.

Dracula was disgusted with himself. And for good reason, too. But that horrid pleasure that was still mingling with his self-hatred kept him from being fully regretful about his actions. It was probably his vampiric nature clashing with his paternal instincts. And for the most part, those fatherly instincts seemed to be stronger than the beast inside him.

Yet, as his dark eyes caught on the puddle of blood that was slowly forming beneath Adrian's head, his vampiric side seemed to grow ever stronger.

 _Be quiet, beast!_ He scolded himself. _This is your son who you hurt. And if you dare to hurt him in anyway, I will find a way to be rid of you._

Dracula knew that it was most likely his blood-starved mind playing tricks on him, but he could've sworn that he heard someone chuckling ominously deep in his consciousness.

A rough shake of his head.

Even if Adrian did drive him crazy most of the time, with his rebellious acts and silver tongue, he was still his son, and he could not leave him bleeding out in the dirt, especially so when he was the one who inflicted those wounds.

And thus, the Prince of Darkness allowed himself the first step forward he had taken since his lashing out, and carefully knelt beside his son.

Pale hair was brushed away, with almost a fond touch, but too rough and unpracticed to be anything akin to kind and loving. Seemingly more alike the shooing wave he gave his servants when he had fulfilled his use of them.

The beast inside Dracula pushed him to get on with it; the sooner Adrian had been cared for, the sooner he would leave. And yet his fatherly side went to the lengths to be careful at how he picked Adrian up. Aware that even the slightest wrong move could tear open the cuts even further. And that same, I guess you could call, caring side ignored the fact that dirt and blood was being rubbed onto his cape and cravat, and instead started walking back towards the mirror portal he had opened a few meters away.

Even if their relationship was more rocky than smooth, they were still family, and that was how it would remain.

The sun had risen, and as Trevor opened his eyes, he completely expected Alucard to be sitting there, against the side of the wagon, a knowing, mischievous, almost playful look in those golden eyes. But the dhampir wasn't anywhere to be seen. Not beside the wagon, not in the wagon, not in the surrounding brush, not anywhere. He was just simply...gone.

"Shit...!" He swore, getting quickly to his feet and stumbling into the wagon that he was 'keeping watch over'. Sypha was still inside, fast asleep, and Trevor not very gently, nudged the woman in the side with his foot.

"Wake up, Sypha!" He all but shouted in her face.

"What _is_ it, Belmont?"

Oh, no...she sounded irritated. But Trevor didn't have the time to worry about that. They needed to find Alucard and quick.

And he wasn't worried about the dhampir. Far from it. He just...wanted to keep a close eye on the man to make sure he didn't go slaughtering a whole village. Yeah. That was it.

"Alucard still hasn't returned."

That seemed to wake her up.

The fabric of her cloak that Sypha had been using throughout the night as a blanket slipped down to her waist as she sat up.

"Really? Are you sure he isn't just hiding somewhere?"

"I'm certain."

There must've been something about his face that told the Speaker that he was serious, for she immediately stopped asking questions and got up.

"Let's go look for him."

After the Speaker had shrugged on her cloak once more, the pair exited the wagon, seemingly discussing if they would split up or not with their eyes. The decided not to and headed into the decent sized forest drowning in undergrowth.

The forest was deathly silent; only the sound of their footsteps and breathing accompanied the light breeze throughout the trees.

And yet, even though the ominous atmosphere was stifling, bordering on painful, Trevor couldn't help but poke fun at the situation.

"Heh. Maybe an angry farmer found him in his fields and tied him up on a cross for all the village to see."

Sypha sighed, annoyance clearly lined on the sound. "I don't get your humor, Trevor. You know that wasn't funny, right?" Her face turned to the side a bit, so her mouth was no longer visible. "It was actually pretty sick..."

Trevor didn't seem to hear her last statement...good. But, he always could just not have cared about it-no. This is Trevor we're talking about. If something damages his pride, he's not scared of throwing a tantrum.

Another annoyed sigh.

 _He can be so childish..._

"You are just dull, Sypha. You don't know good jokes when they smack you in the face," was Trevor's rebuttal. "I just made a _great_ joke. And if you're worried about me 'hurting his feelings', then I must say, he is not here. So I can't emotionally hurt him. Which means, I can say whatever I want."

Sypha didn't even try to hold back the urge to facepalm. Apparently, _another_ thing that Trevor was missing would be manners. Manners and common courtesy...and a sense for personal space...a non-drunk brain... Sypha could go on and on about how many character flaws Trevor had, but that'd take up most of her day, and they still needed to find Alucard.

She was worried about the dhampir. He had never just...vanished before without saying anything. And he never stayed out for this long a time.

 _D-did one of Dracula's servants find him? Did they kill him? Is he hurt?_ Sypha shook her head. _No. Even weakened, Alucard can take on an army of Dracula's servants. He wouldn't die to them._ Right when she thought she had convinced herself that the dhampir was safe, all her doubt returned, twofold.

 _Wait...what if...instead of Dracula's_ **_servants_** _...Dracula himself found Alucard...?_

Just the thought alone scared her enough so that her hands were trembling ever so slightly. But, she didn't know just how right she was...

Trevor noticed the color drain from the Speaker's face, almost as if she had become a vampire as well. He was about to remark on it, probably in some sort of tease or mock (he hadn't decided yet; that was his mouth's job), when a glint of something shiny on the ground caught his attention. Trevor hoped it was coin, or something else he could sell to get more booze and food, but instead, he looked down to be greeted with his boot in a shallow puddle of blood, glimmering in the late morning sun.

Looking more closely, the vampire hunter could make out the imprints of two different shoes – boots, it looked like – in the flat patches of grass surrounding the puddle. There was obviously a fight here. And as Sypha looked upon the scene, they both thought of one single thing; whatever happened here, Alucard was in danger.

Hello, people~! Sorry I haven't updated, I just got myself out of a huge writer's block. But I'm writing again! So you should expect quicker updates than just a random, not even that long, chapter once a month or so. Hopefully, I can have another chapter up in two weeks. Speeeeea-king of chapters, a new chapter of Burden will be going up soon! And by "soon", I mean, like, 10 minutes after this chapter is posted. So whoo~! But, anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and feel free to leave critique or just your random thoughts on what happens. _Reviews are life for me now..._ _ **Cue dramatic, evil**_ **laughter.**

Bye-bye~

Majesty


	9. Chapter 8

Alucard opened his eyes, expecting to see the blinding sun as it warmed his skin just a touch too much, but instead, golden eyes met a shadow coated ceiling. Well, one golden eye. The other was unable to open from the soft cloth holding his eyelid down. Silk bandages, Alucard confirmed as his hand slowly traced where it began at the top of his forehead to the left to the bottom of his jaw on the right. Pressing down caused a small sting to run through his body, and consequently, a soft hiss to leave his lips.

The bandages were strange things. Magic had been used in their creation, and thus, the ends of the cloth melded with Alucard skin, in case something were to happen to accidentally knock them off or tear the tie. Only the one who had placed them upon him (most likely a fairy of sorts) could take them off. Which meant that Alucard couldn't see if he had gotten his eye damaged to the extent that he would be blind for quite awhile. But there was no use worrying about what had already been done.

The one unharmed eye looked about his resting place.

Red velvet covers trimmed with gold, cherry oak chairs and desks, cold, stone floors with thin, iron colored rugs on either side of the large, king sized mattress. The doorway was tall, roughly nine feet, bronze doorknob, cherry oak wood, golden hinges. A container of extinct bird feather quills sat on top of the desk that sat in the corner, red velvet cushions placed upon the dark steel chairs. The pillows were black silk, with gold trim and embroidery placed upon them. With no clothes on but his undergarments, Alucard could feel the satin sheets slide against his body.

There was no doubt in his mind. This room was part of his father's castle.

A heavy frown pulled at his lips, stretching the cuts on his face painfully.

Alucard didn't want to be here.

Despite the ache in his limbs, the dhampir swung his legs over the side of the bed and got up, only to be caught in a sudden dizzy spell. His knees buckled and he came crashing to the floor.

At that moment Alucard was grateful for the rug underneath him, softening the impact and leaving his legs unscathed. He didn't want to let his blood soak into the castle. He wanted the least amount of ties possible with the castle, Dracula, and all of Castlevania's inhabitants. He did not want to be Adrian anymore. He was Alucard.

Using the bed to help him, Alucard pushed himself to his feet, noticing that on the other side of the bed, in his previous blind spot, there was a pile of clothes folded neatly in a stack on the spacious nightstand. There was a note on top of them.

On unsteady feet, the dhampir circled the bed, picking up the crisp white, folded note. There was no name on it, but when Alucard started to read it, he knew exactly who it was from.

 _Adrian,_

 _These clothes are yours, the ones the succubi made you for your birthday the year you left to your slumber. The size has been altered, and do not be afraid to come to me with further alterations. Your previous clothes have been cleaned and stored in a safe place._

 _Do not try to leave. Your wounds are still healing. I have guards stationed-_

At that point the note crumpled in his tight grip. Throughout reading the ink words, Alucard had felt his anger and frustration grow more and more. The knowledge that he was being kept in the castle like some kind of prized bird was the final straw.

The dhampir crushed the letter further, his palm heating up and burning the delicate paper to ashes.

It barely calmed his anger, but he remained sane and rational. Which is why, despite feeling sick at the thought, he donned his new clothes, similar in color and assembly as his previous wear, yet with all the luxury that was befitting for a high ranking noble.

Alucard remembered before his sleep how he had been so excited for these clothes, going to the succubi and incubi almost everyday to give his opinions and help sew when his mother started teaching him. And yet now, finally wearing them after all these years, all he could feel was disgust as the feel of the smooth fabric made his skin crawl.

 _Get over it._ He growled at himself. Now wasn't the time to be picky about what he wore, now was the time to try and find a way out of this damned castle.

With footsteps that made no sound, Alucard approached the door, peering with his one good eye through the keyhole.

A claw, some fur, and the disgusting smell of dog saliva. _Werewolves..._ It seemed Dracula had planned this out rather well. Considering the werewolves had the best sense of smell, just below Dracula and himself, they would know when he left the room. And their wretched odor would mask the scent of others (namely his father) who approached, thus, leaving him vulnerable to others finding out tidbits of his plan to escape. He could use his hearing to detect the larger, clumsier inhabitants of the castle, but that wouldn't work for those with wings, or other vampires, unless they wanted to be heard. And most of all, he couldn't make too much noise himself, or the werewolf guards might take it up with Dracula that he'd been acting suspicious, and might move him to a more isolated room, or even one of the cells in the dungeon. Or, Alucard felt a shudder race down his spine, he might have to accompany his father everywhere he went, and might even end up sleeping in the same room with him.

 _Ugh, that'd be torture..._

Even though his legs had gained some strength from his short burst of anger, Alucard sat back down upon the bed, not knowing what to do while he waited for someone, anyone, to come and tell him _something_. Luckily, God seemed to have some mercy left in store for him, and Alucard noticed yet another thing that was previously in his blind spot.

A bookshelf.

 _So at least he took enough trouble to make sure I didn't die of boredom._

Taking a random, dusty book off the shelf, the dhampir sank back into the pillows, deciding that he would entertain himself while he waited. No reason for him to suffer any more than he already was.

A thin layer of dust blanketed his fingertips as he opened the weathered pages. The book must not have been in use for quite a long while if this much dust had managed to accumulate. Alucard mildly liked the feeling however, so he let the dust stay on the book instead of wiping it off. Reading this old book, with dust on his hands and in his hair, buried deep within inky shadows made him feel as though he had discovered some sort of lost secret. Childish, he knew, but he couldn't help what he felt.

Some time passed, and without windows Alucard could not figure out how much of it had drifted past in the few rare times he glanced up from his book. The dhampir guessed a few hours. And soon he began to wonder why nobody, his father in particular, had come to visit him in his bedroom shaped cell. It had certainly been long enough for the werewolf guards to know for certain he was awake. Unless Dracula tasked idiots for the job. It would make escaping so much easier if they truly were dumb, but it was a slim chance.

He must've jinxed it by thinking about it, however, for soon after his curious thoughts had quelled, the soft sound of the lock in the door clicking open alerted Alucard to the presence of a predator in his bird cage. And lo and behold, it was the last person the dhampir wished to see in his chambers, or anywhere within a mile radius around him; just his luck.

The sharp sounds of boot heels tapping against the stone floor was the telling sign of who had joined him that evening.

Alucard did not look up. He continued to ignore Dracula, who was now standing frigidly at the foot of his bed.

"Adrian." Dracula called out, in his normal demanding voice, and yet...there was something _off_ about it. Alucard did not stop to think on it, however, still holding a small ember of anger towards the elder vampire.

 _Although...it was partly my fault for being curious about his reactions to my taunts..._ A small sigh through his nose. _Curiosity killed the cat._

"Adrian." The Prince of Darkness repeated, this time firmer than the last. When it become apparent that Alucard was ignoring him, he strode across to the side of the bed and snatched the book away, closing it and placing it back upon the bookshelf.

He tsked at the dusk covering his fingers.

"Stop ignoring me, Adrian. You're acting like a child!"

Alucard raised a perfect, golden eyebrow at that; his first reaction since Dracula had stepped into the room.

"If I am not a child, then explain to me why I have been banished to my chambers like one."

"It's for your own good, my son."

"Are you sure it's not that you are trying to redeem yourself after striking me?" Alucard shot back.

Dracula had no reply. Alucard could see it in the way his lips parted just enough to show the tip of a glinting fang before they were pressed tightly together in annoyance. It gave him mild satisfaction to know that he took the all powerful King of Vampire's mighty words away from him.

"That is none of your business," was ground out from gritted teeth.

"But isn't it? I am the victim here. Also the one who is currently locked up for no apparent reason."

Alucard could see the flames of anger darkening his father's eyes, and remembering what had happened the last time he had tested his patience, decided to reign in his tongue. Fortunately, he did not get the chance to have further temptation of angering Dracula more, for the man soon walked briskly towards the door. His clawed hand was gripped around the doorknob when he spoke harshly, albeit calmer than when they had their "talk" in the forest.

"Do not test me, boy. Now, I expect you to join me in my study when it is time for supper."

"And how will I know when that is? You didn't necessarily give me a way to tell time in here."

A soft growl rumbled deep within Dracula's throat.

"I will send servants to get you when it is time."

With that, the man left and Alucard was left to his books and his thoughts.

 _Infuriating child!_

Anger fueled thoughts were racing through Dracula's mind as he stalked through the castle's corridors. The other supernatural inhabitants of the strange structure hurriedly scurried out of his way, most likely sensing the lethal rage possessing his body at that moment.

Oh, how he loved Adrian. All he wanted to do while he was alone was hunt the boy down and embrace him. And yet when they finally met face to face, Dracula found himself doing things not even close to the reason he went there in the first place. They always ended up fighting. Looking back a bit, he remembered how he and Adrian used to have small spats when the latter was just a child. That's all they were, though; spats. Lisa stepped in and stopped them before they could turn worse, irreversible. She said that Adrian had his father's stubbornness mixed with her own curiosity. A deadly combination. But now she wasn't here to stop them when they fought. And because of that, Dracula had ended up hurting his son twice now. If only he could control his temper around the other...

Without him noticing, Dracula's feet had taken him to the study room that he had showed Lisa all those years ago; the treasures inside shining as brightly as her smile. The Prince of Darkness felt his anger ebb, recalling his plan instead of the burning of his wife.

 _I will fix this. And then...maybe we can both be happy, even without her here with us._

So, I think this is the longest chapter in this fic. Well, as of now. Although...Alucard's character kinda went out of control in this one (reminding me a bit of Trevor, to be honest), but I'll stick with it, and see how it goes over with you guys. I think I might have sacrificed Alucard's character for extra length... And for those of you (probably a lot of you) who didn't guess what clothes Alucard was wearing (cause let's admit it, I was SUPER vague about his new clothes), his old clothes were the ones he wore in the Netflix anime, and his new clothes that he got from Papa Drac are his clothes from SOTN. Just to clarify, coz I think you all needed it. But I hope you enjoy, don't be afraid to review, and I will see all of you guys next time.

Bye-bye~

Majesty


	10. Chapter 9

Just like Dracula had said, a servant (luckily not another werewolf) came to retrieve Alucard when suppertime rolled around, bringing him to the "great master Dracula's" study room, where all he did was stare sadly at a fire in his large chair. That's what Alucard expected him to be doing anyway, but he was in fact doing quite the opposite.

Dracula was standing, tall and proud, in front the portrait of the blonde's mother. And instead of a gaze full of melancholy, the Lord of Darkness' eyes held a strange determination.

A small table and another large chair had been brought in and set in the center of the room.

On the table sat two wine glasses filled with red liquid. In one, presumably his father's, Alucard could discern the smell of old wine. His own glass seemed to hold a juice of sorts. Cranberry.

It seemed Dracula had remembered Alucard's hatred for blood.

Plates filled with crisp meats, ripe cheeses and fruits, and crackers for the side decorated the rest of the blank space on the table. Alucard could not spot a food that he did not like.

 _I bet he wants forgiveness._

The servant left almost immediately, leaving the two of them in familiar, tense silence. Neither talked until Dracula ushered his son to the newly added chair in the room.

Was Dracula really trying to be an actual father? No. No way. Not Dracula. He had already gone insane with grief, so randomly and suddenly regaining his mind after _trying to kill him_ just the other night...impossible. It must be a trick.

"Sit. Eat." To anyone else, it would've sounded like an order. But to Alucard who had grew up with all the different tones in Dracula's voice...it was soft. It felt _wrong._

A low growl rumbled deep within the dhampir's throat as he sat stiffly at the edge of the thickly cushioned chair. A small ache ran through his head as he furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance. Just for a second he forgot about the large, marring gash on his face. That slight bliss was quick to leave.

Alucard waited until Dracula took a seat in the chair opposite of him before asking the question even the Lord of Darkness might not've had an answer for.

"Why am I here?"

Dracula seemed surprised at the question. He had gotten worse over the years with hiding his emotions. How one of his generals had not found out his weaknesses yet and killed him, Alucard didn't know. Perhaps he'd be the only one to dare. But...he couldn't kill him now. Even though Dracula was weakened, he was still stronger than the dhampir. He _needed_ Trevor and Sypha. If he tried to go about this alone...maybe he could actually die.

 _Not like anyone would miss me. Trevor would get over my death rather quick with some booze and women. Sypha'd probably stick with Trevor, or head back to her fellow Speakers. Either way, she'd be too busy to remember me for long. And who else do I have left? Dracula? Yeah, right._ A thought raced across the front of his mind. _Would Father mourn me...? Would that be his final trigger to-_

"-Adrian."

Alucard's head snapped up.

"W-what?" He cursed himself for the stutter in his voice. _You cannot be weak...!_

"Something's troubling you. Mind telling me of your plight?"

Dracula could always read him best, Alucard could never truly hide something from the elder, yet he still chose to keep his thoughts, secrets, and plans as personal and under-wraps as possible. It would be foolish of him to give his father an opening. 'Twould only be in his poor interest to do so.

So instead of letting show his true troubles, Alucard spoke of a lesser problem that was bugging him.

"You are acting strange."

Dracula made a hum of question. "Oh? And I'm guessing that it perplexes you?"

This wasn't a safe topic, emotions. But it could be worse. So this was the safest option despite the thick feeling of dread and anxiousness weaving itself into the bones of his spine. He stuck with it, acting as cautious and reserved as usual.

"More akin to uneasiness. It is very much unlike you to behave in this manner," Alucard replied.

"I took what you said into account, my son," Dracula began. "And you are correct. I shouldn't have locked you up unable to meander the halls of your home. It was unreasonable of me." He bent forward. "Please forgive me, Adrian."

The unease and dread that was slowly curling up into his lungs seemed to thicken, making breathing hard to accomplish.

Something was very wrong. It was clearly apparent to Alucard now. No...it wasn't clear. It was more like foggy; the mist blocking the details of the image, yet the outline could still be seen.

The dhampir squinted his eyes in suspicion. Since when did Dracula say _thank you?_

"Who are you?" Alucard kept his voice calm and composed, but it was clearly hostile.

"What are you talking about, Adrian? That's a stupid question." A heavy frown settled on the elder's lips.

"You're not my father. You've been too _nice._ He never says "I'm sorry" unless it was for an important reason. You...you just threw it around haphazardly. Ask anyone in this castle and they'll say that Dracula is a cruel, merciless being. "Sorry" is not a part of his vocabulary, especially for me, his mistake of a son." Alucard's words came out in a snarl at the end before he stood up and grabbed the carving knife off of a silver platter.

Dracula stood up with an ominous chuckle, before something Alucard didn't think would happen occurred. To be honest, he didn't know what to expect, but it was for certain not the thing he thought.

The tall figure shed the skin of the vampire king, and the covering turned to fine grains of dust, leaving behind a pale face, grotesque monster. The eyes were sunken in, pupils non existent, and the face the color of ash. Black lines trailed upwards over a large, bald head, but that was about all Alucard could make out before a thick, purple fog swept through the room. It seemingly came from nowhere and smelled god-awful, but it was gone as quick as it had arrived, leaving the room empty and reeking of a rotten stench.

The dhampir could only stand there speechless as one thought ran through his mind; _The fuck just happened?_

* * *

Darkness. Darkness all around. There were no smells, no sights, no feelings. Just darkness. It was an endless void that Dracula found himself tossed into without warning, or even memories of how he got into said void. Was he sleeping? Dead? Cursed? He knew not. It was a mystery that ate at the walls of his mind. It was unbearable. Dracula needed to know. Being ignorant was a torture he would only wish on his worst enemies, and they were already ignorant, so there was not much point.

 _Oh, great. I'm starting to lose my reasonings..._

The last thing he remembered was going to Lisa's laboratory. Opening a few books, reminiscing, and making dinner plans for the next few nights to start to make up for his mistakes with Adrian.

Most would expect him to shout angrily at the unseeable walls of his shadowy prison, announce his title and the punishments that he would give to those keeping him captive. But he knew from experience that that direction would get him nowhere. More often than not, the people who capture others are well aware of who they are and what they can do. So Dracula instead started to walk around in this place, exploring the environment, and secretly hoping not to get lost or run into an invisible wall.

Luckily neither of those things happened. Yet what WAS happening was just about as bad. No matter how much Dracula walked, or ran, or sprinted, he never seemed to get any farther in front of him. He blamed it on the fact that the whole room was of the same material and color. It was rather disorienting.

Accepting his defeat a few minutes later, the vampire sat on the ground, his eye twitching from mild frustration. The subconscious movement stopped, however, when Dracula realized that the ground that he was sitting on felt cool to the touch, even through his thick winter cape and clothes. Almost like water, yet cold like ice, somehow supporting his body mass.

An idea came to mind. He couldn't just walk his way out of there, the room seemingly having no end, and it didn't seem as though someone was going to come and retrieve him from his shadowy prison. But the ground...it was the only thing that seemed to be _there_. It was cold as ice and Dracula wondered if it would break like ice, too.

He gave a tentative tap with one of his claws, hearing nothing come from the contact and feeling no change in the material it was made of. Going a step further, he slammed his fist into the ground, feeling the force of the hit bounce back up into his bones. Still nothing.

 _Last try,_ he thought. _Last try before I give up._

This time, the vampire brought both hands above his head, and brought them down with the most strength he could muster. But, even though he felt the impact in the way his arms felt as though he just spent a whole night training, nothing happened to the ground. Almost as though it didn't register what had happened.

Dracula let out a sigh as he fell back. He was so confused and just wanted to get back to the castle even if...even if here, in this black void, Lisa's death didn't exist, he didn't hurt Adrian, and he wasn't waging war on humans. He was just a man here, with none of his past mistakes. But that meant he could redeem his mistakes, couldn't try to make things right. He wanted to go back so that he could do those things.

Dracula rolled over onto his side and was just going to start thinking of different forms of apologies to say to his son and how not to screw them up, but the appearance of a small, familiar looking wood door a few feet away in the darkness stopped those thoughts.

 _Well, I guess I was wrong in thinking no one was going to come and get me,_ Dracula thought bitterly as he got up. _Let's see who this madman behind this is._

He went through the door.

A/N

This took...so long. I'm so sorry. I've had writer's block for a couple months, but, uh, yeah I can't excuse this. Almost a year I've neglected this fic. I'm surprised anyone still reads it. But I finally finished this chapter! Hallelujah! And let's just hope the weirdness in the next size in this draft doesn't carry over to the posted thing coz I can't fix it! I hope that anyone who actually still remembers that this fic exists or for any new readers, that you enjoyed it and are staying safe and as happy as you can in quarantine/lockdown.

Have a good day/night!


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